Sacramento closes the holiday concert season on December 18 with one of gospel music’s most decorated voices. CeCe Winans brings her Christmas with CeCe Winans tour to Memorial Auditorium for a single 7:00 p.m. show — the final stop of a six-city December run that moves through Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Bakersfield, and Los Angeles before landing here.
What the Show Is
Christmas with CeCe Winans is Winans’s annual holiday concert tour, and by any reasonable measure she is overqualified for the job. Winans has won 15 Grammy Awards — more than any other female gospel artist in the award’s history — and her voice has been a constant presence in American gospel music for more than four decades. Her recordings range from quiet, worshipful anthems to joyful uptempo pieces, and the live show draws from both registers.
Joining her this year are her sisters Angie Winans and Debbie Winans, both accomplished recording artists in their own right. The Winans family has been central to contemporary gospel music since the early 1980s, and having all three together on stage gives the December 18 show a reunion quality that their individual tours do not replicate.
The program is built around Christmas music — both traditional hymns and the gospel arrangements Winans has recorded over the years — but anyone who has attended a CeCe Winans live show knows the room does not stay quiet for long. The audience participates. If a full house singing in full voice at Memorial Auditorium sounds like your kind of December Friday, this is the date to mark.
The Venue
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium at 1515 J Street was built in 1927 as a tribute to local soldiers killed in World War I. The building’s vaulted ceiling, ornate plasterwork, and warm acoustics have made it a consistent first choice for large-scale vocal performances and orchestral shows. It holds roughly 4,000 people, and the configuration keeps most seats within a clear sightline of the stage.
One practical note: the Upper Balcony has no elevator or ramp access and features narrow, unpadded wooden seats. If accessibility or extended comfort over a multi-hour show matters, the main floor or lower balcony is the better choice. The box office can arrange accessibility accommodations at (916) 808-5181 or sccbotickets@cityofsacramento.org.
The auditorium is in downtown Sacramento, two blocks from the K Street Mall and five blocks from the Capitol. Street parking along J, K, and L Streets can thin out on Friday evenings. The 10th and K Parking Garage (1015 10th St.) and the 9th and L Parking Structure (900 L St.) are both within a five-minute walk and are the reliable options for this neighborhood.
Tickets and What to Expect
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster; the box office can also be reached at (916) 808-5181 or sccbotickets@cityofsacramento.org. Secondary market listings as of late October show prices ranging from roughly $78 to $175 and higher, depending on section and availability — check Ticketmaster directly for current face-value options before going to resellers.
December 18 is a Friday, which makes it natural to pair with dinner nearby. The venue does not publish a separate door time for most shows, but most Memorial Auditorium events open doors 60 minutes before showtime, which would put doors at approximately 6:00 p.m. Confirm closer to the date.
The show is all ages. Given Winans’s standing in the gospel community and the draw of the Winans sisters performing together, the audience will likely pull from across the Sacramento region. Plan for a large, vocal crowd.
The Details
- What: Christmas with CeCe Winans — featuring Angie Winans and Debbie Winans
- When: Friday, December 18, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
- Where: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St., Sacramento, CA 95814
- Tickets: Available through Ticketmaster; secondary market from approximately $78
- Box office: (916) 808-5181 or sccbotickets@cityofsacramento.org
- Accessibility: Upper Balcony is not elevator-accessible; main floor and lower balcony recommended for mobility needs
- Nearby parking: 10th and K Garage (1015 10th St.) or 9th and L Structure (900 L St.)
- Age: All ages
Bottom Line
CeCe Winans performing at Memorial Auditorium in December is a strong pairing of artist and room — her voice is built for a hall that size, and the holiday program, with her sisters joining, makes December 18 feel like more than a standard concert date on a crowded December calendar. Sacramento is the final stop of the tour, which means this is the last performance of the run.
For other holiday performances at Memorial Auditorium this month, the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday HITS! opens December 5, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra brings its In the Christmas Mood program on December 14 — three different kinds of holiday show in the same hall over three weeks. For the full picture of what’s happening across Sacramento this season, the Sacramento Christmas Events guide covers the broader calendar.
